Sentimentality
by Catfisha
Summary: After Anko Mitarashi's mission within The Land of Sea, long forgotten thoughts begin to gradually persist within her. After living her life free of her former sensei's influence entirely, his new presence within her mind motivates her further to extinguish his existence. But once faced with him, will her sentimentality eat her alive?
1. Anko Mitarashi

_She hadn't been cast aside, it was _her _choice._

Anko Mitarashi, a skilled Jonin of none other than The Village Hidden in the Leaves, could do nothing more than reflect on the taxing mission that she'd just returned from. The Land of Sea, a place that held an abundance of sentimental memories for her... It was likely the last place that she wanted to be for a mission.

However, she was grateful to have endured it.

She knew very well that avoiding her past was in no way dealing with it. She knew she had to be strong, and face it head on.

Now, she finally had what she'd always wanted.

Closure.

Laying on her back comfortably on her large bed, Anko's brown gaze had been glued to her wooden ceiling. Her purple hair, which was usually tied in a high ponytail, had been effortlessly untied as it usually was every night before she went to bed. It rested just as comfortably as she did on the pillow cushioning her head. She let out a heavy sigh, a sigh weighed with sentimentality.

"Well, at least that's done with. Now I can actually get on with my damned life." She muttered to herself, rolling her eyes. She rolled over on her side, shutting her eyes. Sleep embraced her quickly, but her subconscious mind refused to relieve her of the events of the previous days.

She felt nothing but the chill of The Land of Sea as she stood on that all too familiar wooden dock, gazing out towards the various islands that she'd memorized. At her side stood Orochimaru, his snow white hands resting on his hips as he listened to the small voice of his young student. Anko's words weren't fluent to her subconscious mind, all sounds were processed as slightly muffled. Anko's small hand pointed to each individual island, proudly naming each of them. Her sensei seemed impressed.

Brightness. Sunlight.

Anko's eyes hesitantly opened, reluctant to battle the sun's dominant rays even for a moment. Anko shut them again and rolled over on her other side, her back to the invading sunlight that blasted through her bedroom window. She groaned, "Can't I just have a damned day to myself? Geez. Duties, duties... So many duties." She recalled her dream, but she didn't think much of it. Not at the moment, at least. She had better things to be focusing on today. She let herself lie there for about ten minutes longer before finally forcing herself up, knowing fully well that she'd likely end up being late to her little 'duties.'

Ever since Orochimaru had deserted Konoha, Anko had lived a relatively adequate life for a Shinobi. However, that was a period of time that she detested reflecting on. It dented her pride to remember. When Anko had first learned of Orochimaru's betrayal, it absolutely destroyed her. Her _hero, _her _sensei_... Nothing but a lie. He was, at that time, the only person that she could every honestly look up to and completely respect besides The Third... And all that she knew of him was stripped from her, in that instant.

Her entire comprehension of his personality, _gone. A lie._

It was all a damned lie, and she'd been left alone and betrayed. That night, she cried herself to sleep.

But back then, she was a child.

She was justified. Kids were stupid and emotional like that, right?

As Anko grew older, she found her own closure. She had to. She had no other choice. It was either that, or continue to relentlessly and hopelessly dwell on her past. There was no way in hell that she'd end up like that damned Uchiha kid.

So, she took the experience and grew from it.

Learned from it.

She learned not to blindly trust. Orochimaru was a life lesson for her.

She grew bitter with him and sought to destroy him eventually, once she'd come to terms with it all. To this day, her now being a fully grown woman, she still aimed to eradicate his existence. He was a disease to be purged.

_If he could kill his former sensei, why couldn't she?_

"_Because he's obviously stronger than you, Anko. Get a grip. He's a Sannin."_ She thought to herself as she got herself dressed in her usual attire. As usual, each article of her clothing clung to her curvacious body with ease. She had quite the feminine figure. After slipping on her fishnet suit, which luckily wasn't see-through, she slipped on her tan mini skirt. Afterwards, she covered her shins with metal protectors that ran up to her knees. She grabbed her tan trenchcoat and slung it on, drapping it over herself, the coat hanging down to about her mid-thighs. She then tied her purple hair up in it's usual spikey, high ponytail. Lastly, she grabbed her forehead protector, branded with Konoha's symbol, and wrapped it around her forehead. She tapped it with her index finger, the clink of the metal provoking a proud smirk on her pale face.

And then, she was off.

She left her small house to enter the bustling, typically busy streets of Konoha. Families out shopping for groceries, running errands, taking their children out, the usual day to day routine. Anko wasn't exactly one to favor the excessive amount of people that populated this village. She slyly sifted through the crowd, her eyes persistently forward with her destination in mind.

Tsunade.

She needed to speak with Tsunade.

She reached Tsunade's building within a couple of minutes, having some spare time to grab some dango on the way for her breakfast.

Er, lunch, technically.

It'd been about twelve thirty in the afternoon... She'd drastically over slept, but she felt that she was totally justified. She'd just gotten back from a hellish mission, what in the hell was she supposed to do, get up at the break of dawn? Hell no! Tsunade didn't want her at any specific time anyway.

She entered Tsunade's office to see the blonde casually speaking with her raven-haired assistant, Shizune. It looked serious. Anko's footsteps alerted them of her presence. Tsunade's hazel gaze landed on the Jonin, her eyes firm and serious. Anko definitely knew that gaze. Immediately, she questioned,

"What happened?"

Tsunade cast a glance at Shizune, then back to Anko.

The room in the air seemed unnaturally still and tense.

Tsunade finally spoke, "It's that Kabuto Yakushi. He was... Spotted within the village today. He was undercover, but Kakashi saw through it and reported it to me immediately." Anko's eyes narrowed, her jaw tight. Defensively, she responded, "And why would _he _be here? What business does he have with us? Unless he's running errands for his little _master._" The venom in the tone of her voice was absolutely lethal.

Noting Anko's harsh tone, Tsunade responded, "We don't know. The moment Kakashi showed any indication that he'd discovered Kabuto's true identity, he fled in an instant. Typical. He's a damned good spy, I'll give him that..." Tsunade thought on it for a moment, then eyed Anko once more.

"I wanted to speak with you for other reasons, but I think this will have to do for now. Anko, I need you to act as a spy. Could you do that?" She shrugged, "Well, of course. We _are_ Shinobi, after all. Stealth is a given. What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to take Kakashi and track Kabuto. I need to know why he was here. Obviously, Orochimaru sent him for some reason or another. But I need to know what. After the death of Sarutobi, I refuse to take any chances with that damned snake. I know you won't disappoint me."

As adamant and fickle as Anko felt about her new mission, she obediently nodded with a, "Yes, my lady." And was on her way. God, she needed a break from that guy already. All of those memories were beginning to weigh down on her, and it was nothing short of annoying.

She hadn't given her past with her former sensei much of an excessive thought until after that mission in The Land of Sea. Now, it was on her mind again. Those foreign thoughts, thoughts that had been laid to rest years ago.

She walked out of Tsunade's building to search for Kakashi Hatake. Her search didn't take long. Once she'd made it out towards the front of the village, she discovered the copy cat ninja lazing about against one of the trees next to the dirt road within the village, which led from the massive front gates into it's depths.

As usual, he'd been reading one of his books.

Anko stood in front of him, her eyes sternly down on him.

"Hatake, we've got a mission. Put the damned book away."

The was a bit of an awkward pause after Anko's demand. He simply put one finger up, a silent "hold on", then finally looked up at her after about three exceedingly long minutes. "I was in the middle of a page. I needed to finish it. Hmhm." A muffled chuckle came from beneath his mask, which shiethed the majority of his pale face. Only one eye was casually visible on the adult male, his left eye being covered by his slanted forehead protector. He wore the typical attire of a Konoha sensei, green vest and all. He reluctantly rose, storing his beloved book away. He seemed to be taking his time.

He stretched for a good couple of seconds, letting a yawn escape him. He eyes Anko again, who was beginning to look progressively more and more pissed off.

"So, what's the mission?"

Anko scoffed, "Nice of you to check back into reality, lazy ass. Now, Tsunade wants us to track Kabuto before his trail goes cold. You were apparently the one that saw him, so you're coming with me I guess."

Kakashi nodded, "That's right, I was. But... Why is she sending _you _on this little mission with me? Just curious."  
Anko shrugged, "Beats me. She just assigned me to it. Come on, we're wasting time here. How should we track him?"

"I may be able to follow the flow of his chakra. Maybe. He only left about ten minutes ago, so I should be able to sense his chakra enough to follow it in some general direction. Also, that lovely little seal of yours will probably come in handy, since he's undoubtedly going back to his little master snake man."

Anko nodded, "Sounds like a plan. We'll figure something else out if it doesn't work. Let's just... Get his over with." Anko said with a sigh and a roll of her eyes, heading towards the titanic front gates of Konoha with Kakashi at her side.

Lately, fate seemed to _love _bringing her back to that damned snake.

One way or the other.

_Author's Note:_

Hello there, readers!

I'll only be posting this chapter of the story for now. I won't be motivated to continue it unless I get some reviews with people wanted to read more, honestly.

After seeing that there was such a small amount of OroAnko fanfictions, I decided to write my own!

As of right now, with this first chapter, I'm improvising as I go.

I want to make Anko a little more... Emotionally realistic in this fanfiction. Rather than, "UGH MY GOD I'M OBSESSED WITH OROCHIMARU HE'S IN MY THOUGHTS ALL OF A SUDDEN." kind of stuff, you know what I mean?

Obviously, I don't own Anko Mitarashi, Kakashi Hatake, Orochimaru, or any of the Naruto characters that may or may not be featured in this story. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Let me know if you want to read more, guys~


	2. The Mission

Dark, cold, and secluded. It was precisely how the snake sannin, Orochimaru, preferred his way of living. He sat proudly in his stone throne, the dim light of a flickering candle directly to his left lighting only half of his inhumanly pale, snow white face. The room that he sat in currently was where he typically spent his time if he wasn't within the depths of his work place, experimenting and creating.

It was a small, stone room with little furnishings. To his front left, a wooden table sat with an abundance of various viles and chemical equipment. Along with that, there were a number of research notes scattered amongst the table's surface. To the right of him, the same applied. Various tables cluttered with things essential for his research, along with miscellaneous bookshelves. Kabuto Yakushi stood in front of his master, arms behind his back. He moved his hand up to his face, pushing his round glasses up the bridge of his nose as he proceeded to speak,

"They should be here in a couple of minutes, Orochimaru-sama."

A chilling voice sounded from the darkness, slithering through the sannin's white lips. "Excellent. I presume you made yourself easy enough to track, Kabuto?"

Kabuto nodded, "Indeed. But my lord, you assume that Anko will be coming along on this tracking mission? I suspect to only be encountering Kakashi Hatake, honestly."

Orochimaru chuckled, his head resting on him right hand as he sat casually slumped back in his chair. "I know Tsunade well. She'll want to test Anko's emotional strength further. She knows that a "true Shinobi" would not let sentimental value get in the way of a mission... I predict that she'll send our little Anko to us."

Kabuto nodded, "Perhaps. But what if she's not with the copy cat ninja? How will we retrieve her then?"

"Then I will need to intervene personally. Crawling into Anko's mind would be nothing short of child's play for me. I have significance to her, whether she knows it or not. I would merely need to pay her a couple of visits. I certainly left my mark on her during those dreadful Chunnin exams... But, at least I've obtained my Sasuke." A long tongue slithered from the snake man's mouth, lusciously licking his lips at the mention of the Uchiha boy.

Kabuto seemed to have quite a bit of questions today. "And you're certain that Anko Mitarashi is worth all of this trouble, my lord? Once you've obtained her and made her your subordinate, what use will she be other than another chess piece on the board? Surely, you must have some other intention for that woman."

It appeared that Orochimaru was beginning to grow tired of Kabuto's questioning. This wasn't typical of him. He responded to his assistant with a slightly sharper tone than before, "Oh, Kabuto... You know me all too well, it would seem. Anko is rightfully mine. She is branded with my seal, and was the only one to survive it's consequences out the other children. I've branded her, so therefore, she needs to be where she began. With me. Anko has potential, but she foolishly chose the path of idiocy within that pathetic village. She needs to know her rightful place. Or perhaps... She needs to be _reminded. _Now, Kabuto, is there a reason that you're doubting me?" Orochimaru's voice was smooth, yet utterly chilling all the same. His presence dominated yours.

Kabuto, sensing Orochimaru's irritation, retracted. "Forgive me, my lord. I was merely curious. You've never previously shown any interest in Ms. Mitarashi... It simply seems slightly sudden."

Orochimaru was intending on not responding, feeling that he didn't need to justify himself to Kabuto, but he proceeded. He felt that with closure, Kabuto would be able to fulfill his duties to the fullest extent. Orochimaru gave a small sigh, then responded with,

"That is true. I previously considered Anko to be nothing but trash. She was simply a waste to me, considering the path that she chose. Such stupidity. I simply felt no desire to have someone with morality among my ranks. She holds potential in regards to her skill... But not her mentality. I intend to change that. Anko is _rightfully _mine, and she has been since she was a child. I intend to obtain her, and make her into the woman she was meant to be." His tongue crept out of his mouth once more, lightly licking his lips in a rather mischievous fashion.

"I will make her _realize _who she truly is." He concluded, done speaking. He wanted to proceed with his research while Kabuto dealt with Kakashi and potentially Anko. He knew Anko would come. Fate would lead her his way, where she rightfully belonged. Kabuto said nothing in response. He simply thought on the matter. Perhaps Orochimaru had a point. He merely wanted to claim what was rightfully his back from Konoha, and re-shape her into who she was truly meant to be. Clever... And very much like his lord Orochimaru.

"Leave me, Kabuto." Orochimaru demanded, rising from his seat. Kabuto nodded and left, walking off to prepare some of their ninja for an attack.

Orochimaru decided to retreat to his work place, which was located in the darkest depths of the hideout that he'd currently been residing in. He had much to do. He needed to prepare things for his little Anko's arrival.

His assumptions of her arrival were more than justified.

He knew she would come.

As he rose from his chair; his straight, jet black hair swayed with his slender body. It fell to his shoulder blades, his long hair being parted slightly to the right. He'd been dressed in his usual attire: a tan overshirt, with a black turtleneck shirt beneath, which was accompanied by grey pants. Around his slim waist, his typically thick purple bow sat firmly tied. As he walked down the dark corridors of his labyrinth of a lair, he pondered to himself about the situation at hand. Anko would undoubtedly pose as a threat for the beginning portion of her time with him here. He would need to break her in, _make _her realize her true place her. It would take time, but he knew very well that he would be able to develop Anko into the powerful ninja she was meant to be.

He doubted that she'd even used that curse mark that he gifted her with.

Petty... Foolish. That was likely due to the idiotic influence of Konoha, and their false moralities.

Morality was a myth, a lie.

In the realm of gaining infinite life and knowledge, morality simple didn't exist. It was something Orochimaru simple didn't believe in.

He intended for Anko to be a new vessel of his, if obtaining his Sasuke's body didn't go as planned. He would mold Anko like clay, build her to his liking, then consume her body entirely for his own as a backup plan.

It all seemed like the perfect plan.

However, Anko would most certainly have strings attached. Konoha would surely launch a search mission to retrieve the missing Jonin. Perhaps he could intervene with that as well. If he succeeded in manipulating Anko to his liking, he could perhaps persuade her to inform them of her defection.

At least that way, the Konoha rats wouldn't pester him or his research.

His... Current research... Was far too essential to be tampered with or interrupted. As that very through crossed his insidious mind, Orochimaru had entered his work place after walking down a number of stairs. It was by far the most secretive of rooms within his lair. Like every inch of his lair, his work place was dimly lit by a few torches scattered here and there on the walls. The work place was adequately spacious, lined with symmetrical steel tables. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of cold stone. On the furthest wall from the entrance, a number of cylinder tanks sat, filled with a mysterious substance. Within each tank, and on each steel table, a helpless subject sat, waiting for Orochimaru's scalpel. However, his current focus was on the tanks. He walked until he reached them, his amber gaze narrowing as he focused his attention on one of his more completed subjects. His white lips pulled into a grin.

She was almost complete.

In the tank in front of him floated an adult woman, her hair long enough to cover the entirety of her nude body. Her nails had been sharpened into long, animalistic talons. Her legs had been vaguely mutated and bent to conform to the hind legs of a wild feline. The woman's hair was blonde and wildly wavy, a floating mess within the tank, her pale face barely visible. On her skin, very faint tiger stripes could be seen scattered all over her body. They weren't patches of fur, but rather skin pigmentations.

Orochimaru looked at the woman with an almost proud expression. She was ready to be released from the tank. He pressed a button, which drained the tank. He watched as the woman gradually fell with the decline of the water level, eventually resting at the tank's steel bottom limply. Orochimaru opened the tank and drug her out by her arms, carelessly letting her flop down on the cold stone floor with a thud. The woman's clawed hand twitched. Orochimaru prepared himself for potential hostile activity. Slowly, the woman's head rose, her wait, long hair clinging to every portion of her feminine body. Amber eyes stared at Orochimaru with nothing but confusion. Good, at least she wasn't hostile. He had no desire to deal with such behavior. Orochimaru bent down to her, grabbing her chin in his fingers, raising her head up to meet his gaze rather forcefully. His matching amber eyes met hers, a cunning grin on her face.

"I am Orochimaru. You are now mine, and you will serve me until your dying breath. Is that understood?"

The woman lightly nodded, her gaze empty.

"Good. Now that I know my imprinting has been effective on your fragile little mind... It's time to make some modifications. You see, woman, you're going to be very useful to me. You, along with hundreds of other creations just like you, will aid me in ridding this world of that pathetic Village Hidden in the Leaves. They are a disease in the Shinobi realm to be purged, and you will be one of my tools in doing so. How does that sound?" He grabbed the woman by her forearm and forcefully yanked her up from the floor, forcing her to lay on the nearest steel table, her blonde hair falling over every edge. She turned her head slowly to meet Orochimaru, nodding slowly. Finally, she spoke. Her voice was soft and delicate. "I will do as you wish. You are my lord and master, Orochimaru. My body is your will."

That provoked quite the sadistic grin from him. "Good, good... It seems the cleaning of your memory has worked efficiently. Not to mention the complete erase of your previous personality. I wouldn't want such things getting in the way of my work, now would I...?" He said, proceeding to cut into the woman with a scalpel. She gave no reaction to it. She simply sat with an expression of stone, her eyes locked on her master as he proceeded to install numerous, excessive chakra points on her body. The pain should have been agonizing, but she felt nothing.

"Perhaps I should not have removed your brain's ability to process pain... Hearing you scream in anguish would have made this all so much better." However, it was a necessary installment.

With this woman being the first, Orochimaru intended on creating a hundred of ninja like this woman, and completely eradicating Konoha. Each one of these ninja would be nearly invincible. Some of them, like this woman here, would be infused and mutated with a randomly selected animal to give them superior senses and speed. Additionally, each and every one of these ninja would be installed with either superior physical strength, or superior chakra reserves. The woman in front of him would be receiving the latter. With the installation of additional chakra points, his ninja would be able to use jutsu for far longer than the average shinobi.

They also would have regenerative flesh, and the inability to feel pain.

With this, they would be able to fight and fight, regardless of missing limbs or poison. If these ninja developed as Orochimaru intended them to... Konoha would fall swiftly under his will. They would never expect ninja like this.

The future looked bright for him.

Once his Anko was at his side once more, his plan would be complete. Anko would be at his side, watching her fake home burn to the ground.

It wasn't an assumption to him, it was simply fact.

Anko was _his._

_Author's Note:_

Thanks for reviewing, guys! I hope you liked this chapter!

Also, I'd like to add that YES, I intend on making Anko as skilled as she damned well should be. I hate reading stories where she's perceived as being far weaker than she actually should be. I imagine her as a highly skilled shinobi, considering who she trained under, and her official rank. I mean, come on! Haha. As you may have gathered from this chapter, this story is going to be rather dark. I'm going to be writing detailed experimentations, and they'll be very graphic. So if you don't dig that, I wouldn't suggest reading any further. This story is rated "M" for more than one reason, after all. ;)

Will Anko fall victim to Orochimaru's will? Only time will tell~


	3. The Power of Manipulation

"We must be getting close, we've been at this for almost a half an hour now." Anko noted, both her and Kakashi dashing through the thickly forested land with grace and speed. They'd been running without stopping, and their great speed hadn't dwindled in the slightest. Anko's purple hair blew back as her and Kakashi moved, thankful that she'd always worn her hair in a ponytail at the moment.

"Kabuto's trail is... Too obvious. Something isn't right here, Anko. We've had no trouble following this trail." Anko's eyebrows pulled together, knowing where Kakashi was going with this. "This is probably a trap. Crap, they're luring us to them..." Anko hissed, slightly ashamed that she'd fallen for it. Kakashi was silent in thought for a moment before speaking again, "Regardless, our mission stays the same. Trap or not, we're following this trail to see what that guy was up to in Konoha. At least now, we're _prepared_ for a trap." Anko nodded, feeling a bit better about it.

Finally, the two Jonin arrived at their destination. Kakashi and Anko perched themselves on a thick tree branch, side by side, as they gazed down on the grassland clearing below them with hesitant eyes. Below them, in the middle of the clearing, sat a ground level building. Only the roof showed on the direct surface, and distinct snake designs could be seen on either side of the front doors. They both knew where they'd been right away. Anko felt that all too familiar pang of pain from her seal. She winced, flinching at the abrupt spike of pain. Kakashi took notice of her pain, but was focused on his surroundings far more than Anko's well being. He was ready for anything.

"Anko, _focus._ We'll likely be getting greeted by some friends any moment now. Don't let the pain bring your guard down." Kakashi warned, his voice a low whisper. Anko shook the pain off, and tuned her senses to her surroundings. She heard nothing.

A crack in the wind could be heard, approaching rapidly from their left. Both Kakashi and Anko reacted on a dime, quickly dashing away from the incoming force. It turned out to be a kunai, with an explosive tag attached to it. As it hit the tree to the right of where they'd been, the tree subsequently exploded. Kakashi and Anko landed down on another tree branch, their eyes focused towards the direction of where the kunai came from. Both of them had been crouched defensively, and Anko had readied three small kunai in each of her hands. Kakashi was gone, suddenly. Regardless, Anko persisted.

She was _here_, around _him. _She knew that this mission would most likely lead her to that bastard. Where else would Kabuto return to? All the same, she could feel bitter resentment and anger growing within her. It fueled her desire to engage in a brutal fight. Driven by genuine anger, Anko recklessly strode forward with alarming speed. "_None of these Sound bastards deserve to live. They'll all die by my hand!_" She thought to herself, her subconscious voice in a roar. She'd completely been ignoring the pain of her cursed seal. She couldn't let that stop her from properly carrying out this mission.

Suddenly, Anko felt herself getting yanked to the side rather harshly, just as she was about to launch all six of her kunai in their invisible enemy's way. Kakashi slammed Anko to the tree, his eye narrowed down on her, hands gripping her shoulders. "Anko, _stop._ What in the hell do you think you're doing? Last I checked, we were supposed to be _spying _on Kabuto, not killing him. He now has the upper hand. He sees us when we don't see him. We need to turn the tables, but not alert a certain Sannin to our presence here. Am I clear?" Anko's jaw tightened as she received a lecture, practically. "And when in the hell did _you _become in charge of _me_, huh? I never knew you were my father. Back off, let me kill this bastard! I have every right to! I need his blood on my hands!" Kakashi slapped his hand over Anko's mouth. "Anko, shut up." He said, his voice low and calm. The statement itself was aggressive, but as usual, his voice remained level. Anko squirmed against his grasp stubbornly, nothing short of furious with the man in front of her. She was being treated like a damned child! She was just as skilled of a ninja as he was!

However... Perhaps he had a point. A direct attack wouldn't be the smartest choice right now. Anko rolled her eyes, "_I let my emotions get the better of me. Damn it, he's right."_ She thought to herself, relaxing under his grasp. Feeling that she'd finally calmed down, Kakashi released her and crouched down, every sense heightened.

Kabuto wasn't their invisible enemy. About ten feet away from them, Tayuya, one of the infamous Sound Five, sat. Her other four comrades had been off tending to business for their lord. Tayuya remained, under orders from Kabuto, to stall both Anko and Kakashi while Kabuto prepared for Anko's capturing. Tayuya grinned, her brown eyes narrowed down on her prey. "Dance for me, rats." She muttered as she held her flute up to her lips, playing a soft melody. Though the melody was soft, what resulted from it was nothing short a chaotic. Three demonic creatures, or rather, her 'Doki', spawned behind the red-haired Sound ninja, ready to serve her. The three Doki were large and intimidating, looking generally human on the surface, but with the addition of physical mutations. She began playing the melodies necessary to make them attack the two Jonin. Simultaneously, the three massive demon-like creatures charged into the trees. Hearing the thud of their footsteps, Kakashi and Anko acted quickly by jumping high into the air. Anko shot Kakashi a grin, saying, "So are we _still _"spying?"". She couldn't help but rub it in his face.

Kakashi couldn't respond. One of the demonic creatures began attacking him, to which he dodged each powerful motion of it's fist. The other two creatures approached Anko. Anko took a kunai out of her pouch, licking the blade with a sly grin. "Good. I've been waiting to have a little fun." She purred, jumping out of the way as one of the creatures attempted to slam it's fist on top of Anko. She reacted quickly as the two of them relentlessly charged at her, Anko being able to successfully dodge attack after attack from them with acute precision. Her body moved with skill as she swept herself behind the two of them, launching both of her hands forward, "_Hidden Snake Hands!_" She called out, sending numerous snakes lunging out from the sleeves of both of her arms. The snakes plunged their fangs into the creatures, one arm per creature, sending deadly poison into their bodies. They quickly became paralyzed. Anko grinned, holding one kunai in each hand now. "I wasn't expecting this to be so easy." She stated, charging the creatures, slashing away at their flesh with both of her kunai. Her body spun and twisted with each slice, her figure moving with alarming speed. Meanwhile, Kakashi had made easy work of the singular creature that he had to deal with. These creatures were slow, and they were no match for Anko and Kakashi's superior speed. He'd simply jammed a good 'ol Chidori right into the damned creature. He eyed Anko briefly to see how she'd been doing. Under his mask, he let a smile grow. Impressive. That woman surely knew how to fend for herself. However, he was far more focused on locating their attacker at the moment. Anko, finally done playing with her food, stood proudly in the grass clearing. The two dead Doki behind her had been successfully chopped to pieces. She eyed the corpses, grinning to herself rather sadistically. "Ah, how kind of you two... Spilling that red blood that I love so much." She muttered to herself, proceeding to leave the scene to catch up with Kakashi. Tayuya, meanwhile, grimaced. Her Doki had been taken down with relative ease by these damned Jonin, and she was running out of options. She detested close combat. She couldn't allow herself to be seen. She couldn't allow herself to fail her lord Orochimaru.

Within the base, Kabuto sat with Orochimaru in their usual meeting room, preparing paralysis poisons for Anko. Orochimaru, finally looking over to see what he'd been preparing out of curiosity, decided to stop him.

"Kabuto, you _are _aware that our little Anko is immune to poisons, right? Through my training, her immunity was acquired... An impressive ability, really." He mused, standing at Kabuto's side. "Of course, my lord. My apologies. I'll prepare paralysis seals instead."

"Anko may be mentally pathetic with false moralities... But her physical skill is quite the contrary. Make sure those seals are potent, Kabuto." "Yes, my lord. How would you like to me dispose of Kakashi Hatake?" "In any way that you see fit, my dear little assistant... I trust your judgment."

Outside, things were looking grim for Tayuya.

Kakashi and Anko had been skilled trackers. The two of them followed the sound of Tayuya's flute, leading them directly to her. Kakashi chuckled, suddenly casually sitting on a tree branch directly above the red-haired girl. "You know, for someone trying to be discrete, that flute definitely isn't doing it for you." He mused, his head resting in his hand as he cast a lazy glance down at her. She clenched her teeth together, her brown eyes narrowing at the copy cat ninja. He'd taken her off guard. She hadn't even heard him coming. "Damn you, trash! You're supposed to be my prey, so start acting like it!" She hissed, backing up, her flute clutched in her right hand. Suddenly, Tayuya felt herself getting slammed against the nearest tree hard enough to get the wind knocked out of her. She wheezed, opening her eyes to see that none other than Anko Mitarashi had been the culprit. Anko wore that sadistic grin of hers, a kunai pressed threateningly against Tayuya's throat. Tayuya, unafraid, smirked. "I can see my lord in your eyes, woman. _Now _I understand why he has such a newfound interest in you lately... You're just like us." Tayuya taunted, her eyes narrowing. Anko took the bait. It was a sore spot on her, and Tayuya likely assumed correctly on that. "You don't know what in the hell you're talking about!" Anko yelled, slicing Tayuya's throat with little to no hesitation. Tayuya gagged, deliciously guttural gagging sounds being heard from the depths of her pale throat as she choked and drowned in her own blood. The red-haired woman collapsed at Anko's feet. Anko eyed Kakashi, her voice flat with apathy. "We need to track down Kabuto. Tayuya, obviously, was a distraction. Kabuto knows we're tracking him, and it's a safe assumption that Orochimaru is behind this." Kakashi eyed Anko's violence with wary eyes. He knew that Anko was violent, but he'd never seen her grow _that _violent. She wasn't acting like herself. He hopped down from the tree, keeping his thoughts to himself. This was a mission of business, not a mission of psychological analysis. He'd talk to her later about that. "What Tayuya just said to you... Could that be true? She mentioned that Orochimaru had been showing some particular interest in you lately. Perhaps he used Kabuto to lure us here." He hypothesized, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. Anko shook her head, "No. Impossible. Orochimaru has no interest in me. It's pretty obvious that she was just trying to taunt me and provoke me. Hey, they bitch got what was coming to her if I do say so myself." Kakashi pressed on, "But _Anko_, it would make sense. We've obviously been lured here for a reason." Anko shrugged, "It's another reason, then. Orochimaru was done with me years ago. He has a new toy now, and that's Sasuke Uchiha. Hell, I feel bad for that kid. All he'll be, in the end, is a damned flesh puppet for Orochimaru to slip into. I'd rather not have that fate." Kakashi nodded. Then, his eyes widened as he saw the figure of Kabuto Yakushi dash up from behind Anko. Anko heard Kabuto a second too late. However, Kakashi intervened at just the right moment. He forcefully shoved Anko to the side, out of Kabuto's potential grasp, and clashed kunai with the medical-nin. Kabuto grinned. "It seems that your speed, , is not to be underestimated." Kabuto's voice was smooth, slightly chilling. Kakashi attempted to kick Kabuto in the gut, but the gray-haired male dodged Kakashi's kick quickly. "I have no time to play around with you. Anko is the prize today." Kabuto continued, dashing over to Anko in an attempt to restrain her. Anko dodged him and re-appeared behind him, successfully stabbing a kunai directly into Kabuto's back, proceeding to twist it. "You're _not _laying a single filthy little hand of yours on me. You can tell your "lord" the exact same thing, too. I want all of you pathetic Sound ninja to stay the _hell _away from me, is that understood?" Anko hissed into Kabuto's ear, to which Kabuto replied by turning around and mutually stabbing a kunai into Anko's chest. Anko winced, reacting quickly to take the kunai out. However, she felt her body begin to... Fall into a stasis. What was this? She eyed the kunai carefully, her eyes widening as she saw paralysis seal attached to the blade. "You son of a bitch! You won't down me with a damned piece of paper!" She roared, fighting the paralysis for as long as she could. She looked to Kakashi, "Kakashi, don't let this guy touch me! I guess Tayuya was right, Orochimaru seems to be after me for some reason or another. Ugh!" She felt the paralysis completely kick in. She stood rooted to the spot, unable to move a muscle.

Kakashi knew this wasn't looking good. Staying here and fighting Kabuto was pointless. Their mission had now been completed. Now, they knew why Kabuto had been in Konoha. To lure Anko to Orochimaru. He wouldn't let that damned snake even _look _at her. Kakashi scooped Anko up and dashed off as fast as he could, knowing that he had the upper hand when it came to speed. Kabuto wouldn't be able to catch up to him. To his surprise, however, Kabuto appeared at Kakashi's side. "I can't allow you to escape so easily, Hatake." He stated, a grin on his face.

"Kabuto. Allow me to intervene." Came a haunting voice from behind the three of them.

Anko got goosebumps. She knew who it belonged to.

Kabuto stopped and looked back, eyeing his lord with a kind grin. Kakashi wasn't intending on stopping. However, he now had no choice. Kabuto had managed to knick him with a paralysis poison, and he hadn't even noticed until just now. Damn it all. Kakashi felt himself freeze on the spot, Anko still in his arms. Orochimaru walked in front of Kakashi, taking Anko from his arms and standing her up in front of him. He broke the paralysis seal on Anko. Kabuto flinched. What was he thinking?

Anko felt the control of her own body coming back to her. As soon as it did, she grabbed the white-skinned man in front of her and pinned him to the nearest tree, very nearly slitting his throat on the spot. However, she did not. She, instead, kept the blade pressed uncomfortably tight against his throat. Her face inches from his, she growled, "I already slit the throat of your little red-haired bitch. How would you like your blood to be mixed with hers on this kunai, hm? You make me sick, you filthy criminal." Orochimaru chuckled, genuinely amused by his former students aggressive behavior. "Oh, Anko... My _dear _little Anko... It seems that your blood lust hasn't left you. I wonder who you acquired that blood lust from, hm? I wonder who influenced your sadistic nature..." He mused, taunting her, his voice ringing into the deepest depths of Anko's mind.

His presence was overwhelming.

His eyes, his voice.

His _everything. _

Anko felt anxiety begin to devour her alive from the inside out, but she would never show it. Her composure remained strong and aggressive and she pressed the blade further on against his throat. "You have _no damned right _to speak to me, you filthy snake. I should just kill you right here, right now."

"Then why don't you? Please, Anko, entertain me."

What a foolish girl. She was forgetting that she was standing in front of an immortal being. Regardless, he intended to watch her emotionally struggle with bemused contempt. Just as he predicted, Anko hesitated.

"Is something the matter, my dear? You seem so intent upon ending my existence... Yet when faced with the reality of it, you lack the courage to do it. How _interesting._" He hissed, his tongue licking his lips as he eyed her curiously. Anko's jaw tightened. He was right. He was always right, and they both knew it. He was reading into her like a damned book, and she was helpless to stop it. In front of him, she felt pathetically vulnerable and weak.

And above all, Anko _hated_ feeling vulnerable and weak.

She needed to overcome this. She truthfully had no idea as to why this hesitation even existed within her. She needed to get past it, _now._

Suddenly, her eyes met his serpentine gaze. She hated it. His eyes gave her chills, but she fearlessly glared onwards. "Stop pretending that you know me, god damn it! Shut up and die!" She hissed, forcing herself to slit his throat. However, her efforts were in vain. In front of her, "Orochimaru" dissolved into nothing but mud. He sounded from behind her now.

"I bet you feel like quite the fool now. You surprised me, Anko... I didn't think you'd actually kill me." That complicated things. It would make manipulating her that much more difficult. She didn't possess a significant enough sentimental attachment to him... He would need to change that. He would need to make her remember her place. From behind her, he continued, "But you're one foolish girl, my dear Anko. You're forgetting that a petty slice from a kunai would never truly kill me... I am the true representation of immortality. And _you, _Anko, belong under me."

Anko felt genuine disgust course through her. He seriously had the nerve to say that to her? She whirled around, discovering that he was actually uncomfortably close to her. She back up, widening the space between them. Her lips pulled into a snarl, "What in the _hell _did you just say to me? I don't belong with you. I belong with _Konoha._ What in that twisted mind of yours would ever make you believe that I "belong" with you?" Orochimaru chuckled, approaching her. His hand touched the seal on her neck, rubbing it gently. Almost affectionately.

"This mark tells me that you're _mine. You always will be._"

Anko slapped his hand away and pushed him hard. "Screw you! This mark doesn't mean a damned thing, I'm just stuck with it because of _you_! Why in the hell are you suddenly so interested in me, anyway? Don't you have that Uchiha rat to fulfill your petty little desires for power? To my knowledge, I'm not worth your time. Not that I'd ever care for it." Orochimaru frowned, "I would simply like what is rightfully mine to _be mine. _Anko... Imagine, if you'd never chosen to leave me, how drastically different your life would be today. You would never have lived in that pathetic excuse for a village. You would have always remained under me."

Anko thought on that for a moment. His words... Held truth. Perhaps he... Had a point. No. _No, damn it!_ She shook her head. "Bullshit. I'm _glad _that I chose to leave you. Because honestly, if I hadn't, I'd probably be either dead or brainwashed now. All you'd ever want me for is a new layer of skin to wear, you piece of _shit." _Her words had been laced with hatred. She wasn't having a single ounce of his words. Well... Not entirely. Her life _would _have been drastically different... But... No, no! She was letting him get into her mind. Get under her skin. He was manipulating her.

Kabuto intervened, "My lord, Kakashi's poison will wear off in about a minute. I suggest retrieving Anko now so that I can transport Kakashi elsewhere."

Orochimaru chuckled, stepping away from Anko. "Actually, Kabuto... I will retrieve my Anko another day. I believe she needs to think about what I've said here. Perhaps she'll realize where her place truly is. With _me." _He turned has back on Anko, beginning to walk away. "Besides... Anko here isn't a necessity. I _do _already have my Sasuke... _She _would merely be a bonus." He knew that would get to her. He knew exactly how to control her emotionally. Saying that would make her feel like a trinket to him, inadequate. He was intending to resurface some long buried emotions within her of needing to impress him, from her childhood.

He predicted correctly.

Anko scowled, her hands tightening into fists. Every inch of her burned with complete, insidious _rage. _"That's all anyone ever is to you, _tokens! Trinkets! _Go on, walk away like the coward that you are!" She roared, her voice cracking once from the volume of her voice. Just barely within earshot, Orochimaru concluded their conversation by replying with,

"Well, you know, my Sasuke _is _far superior to you... You simply just aren't _good enough _to be a priority to me."

The pain.

She felt it directly in her chest, like she'd been stabbed. Why? Why was she so affected by that statement? _Why_?

Kakashi unfroze, collapsing to the ground as he abruptly regained control of himself. "I heard everything. Anko, are you alright?"

"... I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"God damn it Kakashi, I'm fine! Let's... Let's just get the hell out of here. Our mission here is complete. We... We have no purpose here."

Anko dashed off in front of Kakashi, wanting to get back to her home, Konoha, as quickly as she could. She wanted to be as far away from that damned snake as she possibly could. Once she was back at home, she wouldn't need to even deal with his existence. Just like before. She wouldn't even need to see him again. Knowing that, relief swept over her. She didn't need his poisonous, manipulative words invading her any longer.

Was she... Really not good enough?

What was so damned special about that Uchiha kid anyway, his stupid eyes?

She could have been better than him. No, she _was _better than him. He was what, twelve? She was a grown, twenty four year old woman with far more experience than that little boy. It was only those damned eyes tha- She was jealous.

She was seriously feeling jealousy right now.

But... Why?


	4. The Influence of Others

"Why would Orochimaru want _you _of all people so suddenly?" Tsunade's voice pressed, her posture stiff and agitated. Anko shrugged, "Beats me. He showed absolutely no interest in me before a couple of days ago. Now, all of a sudden, he wants me to apparently "realize where my place truly is." He claims that I'm "rightfully his" because he branded me with this damned cursed seal. That's why Kabuto was here. He was here to lure me and Kakashi directly to Orochimaru. We encountered one of Orochimaru's subordinates, but I killed her."

Tsunade didn't look pleased. Not in the slightest. In fact, she felt legitimately sick to her stomach. Shizune looked pretty tense, standing next to her, casting a concerned gaze on her beloved Hokage.

"Anko... I'm sure you know this well, but Orochimaru is a disgusting human being. I'm not even sure that he's _human _anymore. He's cocky by nature, and truly believes that he can obtain whoever he pleases whenever he wants. He thinks he can turn _any _shinobi into his pawn, and right now, for some reason, you're a target of his. You need to keep your guard up, Mitarashi. He'll be hunting you. Expect his subordinates to pay you a visit, just as they did with Sasuke Uchiha. I'll be keeping Jonin constantly scouting around the village's gates. That damned snake, and his subordinates, won't be setting a foot anywhere near you." He lips had been slightly pulled into a snarl as she spoke. Anko noticed how worked up Tsunade got just talking about her former team mate... Anko almost pitied the Hokage. Anko tried to put herself in Tsunade's shoes, imagining what it must have been like for her. A former team mate, a former friend that was once very dear to her... And he'd become something as vile as he was today.

How must that have felt, to watch your dear friend fall into corruption?

Tsunade's frustrated, hazel eyes also held a subtle amount of pain. Even after all of these years. Anko, regardless of her sympathetic observations, simply responded to what she was saying. She nodded, "Even without your help, my lady, he won't lay a finger on me. _I'll _make sure of that." It was awkwardly still, tense, and silent within Tsunade's office for a couple of moments. Anko had actually almost completely forgotten that Kakashi had been standing next to her, listening to the conversation, but saying nothing. He, too, could see Tsunade's pain behind her steel exterior. The two Jonin couldn't leave until they were officially dismissed by their Hokage.

Finally, Tsunade spoke. "Anko... _How _exactly did he speak to you?"

Anko raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? As in, what was the tone of his voice? Well... If you want the blunt answer, he was trying to manipulate me. Like I said, he was basically just telling me that my true and rightful place was with him, since I'm his former student. Also, he... Started comparing me to Sasuke. He kept telling me that Sasuke was "better than me anyway", implying that if I couldn't be obtained, that it wasn't a total loss. Because at least he still has that Uchiha kid." Tsunade could clearly hear a slightly bitter twist to Anko's tone of voice as she got down to the later portions of her ramblings. It rose a concern in her. Anko was jealous of Sasuke, and Orochimaru knew exactly how to provoke her. It was likely how that snake intended to manipulate Anko, through her childish jealousy. Tsunade needed to make Anko aware of that so she didn't fall victim to Orochimaru's little mind games.

Kakashi noticed it too, and it mutually concerned him. Did something Orochimaru said _actually _sink in to Anko? Tsunade rose from her seat, giving Anko a stern look as she continued to speak.

"I can see that his words got to you. Look, it's clear that h-"

"His words didn't get to me, my lady. Nothing he said did."

"Don't lie to me, Anko. I'm not stupid. He knows that making you feel inadequate is what gets under your skin. He _knows _how to provoke those long buried childhood emotions. Don't underestimate his manipulative abilities... That man is as venomous as the most poisonous of snakes. Don't listen to a _damned _thing he says to you, understood?"

Anko took Tsunade's wise words in, knowing that they held nothing but the truth. It made sense. Anko felt like a complete idiot for falling for Orochimaru's snide manipulation. She _thought _she was intelligent enough to evade that... But apparently, she wasn't. She felt ashamed. Anko nodded, and simply replied, "... Understood."

"You both are dismissed. I have no missions scheduled for the two of you today. Hatake, however, needs to tend to his team today." The two Jonin nodded, and began to move out. Anko had a lot to think about today.

But so did Kakashi.

As Kakashi walked back to where he usually met up with Sakura and Naruto, his mind clouded with frustration. He felt overwhelmingly protective over Anko. Anko was a skilled, and beautiful woman. She stood out to him, she always had. Her unique training gave her exceptional skill, in his mind. He saw his fellow Jonin as comrades, and nothing more. He had a few comrades that he considered close friends. He had the strangest relationship with Gai, for example. He had no idea what that even was. A rivalry mixed with a best friendship? That was probably the best way to describe it. He'd never been too close with Anko, but he'd always wanted to know her further. He knew there was more to that woman than meets the eye. He wasn't enjoying standing by and watching Orochimaru slowly wrap his hands around Anko.

He'd already lost Sasuke to that bastard. He wasn't planning on losing Anko to him, too.

Back within Orochimaru's lair, he had his own things to ponder on. The events of today had given him his much needed dose of entertainment. The way that Anko squirmed at his words... It truly amused him. She exuded confidence, exuded such retaliation to him... Yet all the same, she fell victim to his most simple of emotionally damaging tactics. She did not take the bait when he attempted to convince her of where her rightful place was.

It seemed that she'd been away from him for too long, she truly believed that Konoha was her rightful home. A shame. That fact alone would make all of this much more time consuming. But he knew, without a doubt, that he would eventually obtain Anko once more.

He simply needed to show her _why _her place was with him, _not _Konoha.

His words to Anko weren't hollow, however. When he said that Anko wasn't essential, he completely meant it. He had Sasuke. He had everything that he wanted. Anko was simply a bonus, an extra toy for him to play with.

She was nothing more than that to him.

A toy.

As he thought the situation over, he'd currently been working on his current project within the depths of his work place. He'd been continuing to craft his mutated, elite ninja. Each one of them required delicate care to retain their perfection. He eyed the tiger infused woman, watching her as she simply sat in a chair, staring blankly into the open air.

These ninja had no minds of their own. They were only existing to serve their lord Orochimaru, and that was all.

Perhaps, once he obtained Anko, she could help him with this little project...

That thought provoked a grin from him.

Imagining Anko, the once loyal Leaf shinobi, destroying Konoha at his side with an army of his hand crafted, elite ninja... And _then_, imagining the look of utter betrayal on that wench Tsunade's face. It seemed like a blissful dream.

Tomorrow, he would need to pay Anko a visit. He wasn't intending on wasting any time in retrieving her. Sending his subordinates to fetch her simply wouldn't work. Anko needed to be emotionally worn down, and he knew very well that _he _was the only one who could do that.

A blissful dream that he intended to fabricate into reality.

Once this army of ninja had been completed, Konoha would fall under him. Finally.

He would make certain of it.

Back in Konoha, Anko had decided to buy some dango for the walk home. The dango was helping to clear her head, oddly enough. Tsunade was right. All of his words were apathetic towards her. Anko knew how manipulative he was, yet she _still _fell for one of his ploys... Damn it. God _damn _it. How could she have been so stupid and blind?

She truly wished that Orochimaru had never walked into her life.

What in the hell sprung his sudden interest, anyway? He should have stayed out of her life, like he'd been doing for years previously.

That was where _he _was "rightfully" supposed to be.

_Out of her life. _

She would make sure that he stayed that way. She needed to find a way to kill him. Permanently. But how would she kill someone who couldn't be killed? Not only that, but someone far stronger than her?

She'd need to find a way.

She had to.

His invasion of her thoughts would not be tolerated. This was the most she'd thought of him in years. She... She still felt jealous.

_Why was she never good enough for him?_

_Author's Note:_

Hello, my lovely readers~

This chapter was more meant to be an emotional insight for each of the characters. The next chapter will be far more interesting. I just felt that I needed to publish a chapter with nothing but emotional content, so that you all could get a better comprehension of where everybody stands right now with eachother.

Also, yes, I do update very quickly!

I update quickly because I don't have much else to do. I'm jobless, so all I do at the moment is paint, write, and play Mass Effect within the depths of my room. Lmao. Oh, and have a social life.

Keep reading, my lovelies~


	5. A Note from The Author

Hey there, readers. I'm here to say that, basically, my motivation to keep writing this story has run a bit dry. As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't updated it in quite a few months, when I used to update it every single day.

BUT, fear not!

I've simply lost my motivation for this story specifically. I'm also not entirely happy with all of the grammatical errors, and the general plot. It feels too bland and "same old same old" to me.

So, this heavily inspires me to try again and write an entirely new AnkoxOrochimaru fanfiction. (:

I've already got some ideas brewing that I'd really like to put into play. So, guys, look out for a new story. For now, I'm just going to leave this one be. I'm just not feeling it.

Stay tuned!

Catitia 3


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